Marble game



June 1934. w. w. HARRIS 1,961,147

MARBLE GAME Filed Aug. 5, 1931 NVENTOR illiam %s t Y g 4% \27c msz ORNEYPatented June 5, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

the circumferential rim of a depressed disc having a downward inclinetoward a central opening of a diameter larger than each marble, or thelike; the said disc also having a multiple 1 of counting pocketsdisposed between its circum- 10 ferential rim and'its central openingand into which marbles may come to rest and be scored in accordance withthe variably numbered value thereof.

A particular object of this invention is to pro- 15 vide in a game ofthis character means for an automatic magazine supply of marbles,limited to a predetermined number, beyond which the player cannot exceeduntil an interposing cutoff is manually manipulated.

Another object of the invention is to provide mechanical propellingmeans, the force of which may be varied by the player, for the purposeof controlling the speed of the propelled marble, or the like, andthereby its momentum will be efiective at some approximately particularpoint on the circumferential rim of the disc and gravitate toward someparticularly desirable counting pocket, or dislodge a trapped previouslypropelled marble, and for other scoring purposes.

These and other important features and objects of the invention will bemore fully understood from the following detail description and theaccompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a preferredembodi- 35 ment of the invention; a

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on lin 2- 2 of Fig. 1; a

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 33 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation, partly broken away, of the dischargeopening of the marble number limiting means, illustrating a stage ofoperation subsequent to the stage illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

Referring to the drawing, the count-scoring disc is illustrated at 10,which as appears-from Fig. 2 is depressed at or toward its centralportion, and provided with an opening 11 at such central portion.Preferably, the disc 10 is provided with peripheral path 12, the bottomface having a diameter less than the diameter of a marble 14 or otherspherical object. These pockets 13 bear count Values, such as 5, 10, 15,etc., as appears in Fig. 1.

The central opening 11 has a diameter exceeding the diameter of eachmarble 14, to serve as a receiving opening for each marble, in the eventthat a marble traverses such opening 11.

Disposed below such opening 11, as illustrated in the drawing, is areturn guide for the marbles which are received through the centralopening 11; such guide may be conveniently formed as a U-shaped chamber15, which for compactness of over-all dimensions may be spirallyarranged within a hollow casing 16. The count-scoring disc 10 isconveniently mounted at the upper end of the casing 16, and providedwith a peripheral rim 17, forming a boundary for its peripheral path 12.For simplicity of construction the peripheral rim 17 and thecount-scoring disc 10 may be formed of material which may be integralwith one another, and shaped to contour illustrated in the drawing, orother suitable contour. Similarly, the casing 16 and the guide 15 may beformed of like material.

The guide 15 serves as a return runway for the marbles received throughthe central opening 11.

Cooperating with such guide 15, 1. provide a limiting device, in theform of a trapping mem ber 1'7, its body portion projecting within alower portion of the guide 15 at a location corresponding to thepredetermined number of marbles of a given diameter. The trapping member1'? may be operated in any suitable manner, as by manual operation, andarranged to be automatically returned to its trapping position aftermanual release, as by forming said trapping member 17 of wire which maybe pivoted at the location 18, as by bending the Wire to form a pivoteye at such location, such pivot eye 18 being mounted on pivot pin 19.suitably fixably secured, the free end 20 of the trapping member 1'?extending exteriorly of the casing 16 to aiford manual operation. Thetrapping member 1'7 is biased to its trapping position by the retractilespring 21 which connects the trapping member 1'7 with any suitable fixedpart, or preferably cooperates with the marble projecting means asappears more fully hereinafter.

7 Preferably, the projecting means propels the marbles at variablespeeds, for the purpose of introducing skill in the operation of thegame. Preferably, such projecting device is constructed to propel onemarble only at a time. As illustrated in the drawing, the projectingdevice comprises a cup-like member 22, adapted to receive TAU but onemarble at a time, the cup-like member being mounted on the arm 23, whichmay be of wire; such arm 23 is suitably pivoted on a fixed pivot pin 24.The arm when made of wire may be turned upon itself to form a pivot eye25; the opposite end 26 of the arm 23 may be connected to any suitableresilient means, but preferably to an end of the retractile spring 21,whereby the spring 21 coacts jointly with the manual release member 1'7and the marble propelling member 22.

Cooperating with the marble propelling member 22, I provide a marbleload controlling and stop means, as in the form of a hook element .27,pivoted at 28 and dished at its upper face to receive a single marble ata time, the single marble illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 being designated14a. The marble load controlling means 27 is disposed at the dischargeend of the return runway 29 which connects at its inlet with the marblelimiting chamber 15. Upon the return of the marble projecting member 22to its lowermost and loading position, indicated in dot and outline inFig. 2 and in full outline in Figs. 3 and 4, the rearward tongue 22a ofthe projecting member 22 encounters the nose 26a of the loaded member27, thereby tippingthe loading member 27, as shown, in counterclockwisedirection as viewed in Fig. 2, against its biasing spring 2712, therebyenabling the marble, say marble 14a, to roll under gravity from themember 27 into the pocket of the marble projecting member 22.

It will be borne in mind that the movement of the loading control member27 when tripped by the tongue 22a of the marble projecting member 22elevates its rearward nose 270 to thereby retard the succeeding marble,designated 14b in Figs. 3 and 4, to arrest it along the runway 29 untilthe preceding marble 14a has been loaded within the marble projectingmember 22, and after projecting operation of the marble projectingmember 22 with its loaded marble 14a, the spring 271) returns theloading control member 2'7 to its normal position as shown in Fig. 2 toenable the succeeding marble 14b to enter its dished upper face,preparatory for loading into the projecting member 22.

Upon release of the marble projecting member, the marble 14a ispropelled into and through the discharge chamber 30, see Figs. 1 and 2,the chamber 30 connecting at its discharging end with the peripheralpath 12 of the count-scoring disc 10.

From the foregoing description and reference to the drawing it will beseen that the invention provides a game in which the automatic magazinesupply of marbles is limited to any given number, say ten. which mayconstitute a single round of play of the game, and that no score keepingas to the number of shots is necessary. After each round of given numberof shots the values of the disc pockets in which marbles have come torest are added, the total sum constituting the individual score. Thepocketed marbles are then dislodged and allowed to gravitate into thecentral disc opening. A releasive movement of the finger on the cut-offlever permits all the marbles to gravitate to the supply magazine andthe game set preparatory for another individual round of shots.

It will be seen that when the marble propelling lever is fully depressedand then suddenly released the maximum propelling force is exerted andthe propelled marble will travel the greater number of revolutions inits circumferential path on the disc before gravitating toward thecenter. By allowing the propelling lever to assume different degrees ofpartial relaxation before permitting its sudden and complete release,the speed and action of the propelled marble is controlled, thusintroducing the element of skill into the game.

Whereas, I have described my invention in reference to a specific formthereof it will be understood that many changes and modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a marble propelling game, the combination of a scoring discprovided with a discharge opening, a marble supply magazinecommunicating with said discharge opening, a marble propelling member,said marble propelling member comprising means for singly receivingmarbles and means in said supply magazine for limiting the number ofaccumulated marbles which may be propelled between the stages of manualmanipulations of said limiting means, said marble supply magazineincludingmanually operable means for releasing the marbles accumulatedtherein for reception therefrom by the marble propelling member.

2. In a marble propelling game, the combination of a depressed dischaving a downward incline to a central opening therein and also having aplurality of pockets in which marbles may come to rest disposed betweenits circumferential limit and its central opening, a certain number ofmarbles, a downwardly inclined magazine of sufiicient length toaccommodate twice the said certain number of marbles, the uppermost endof said magazine being in communication with the central opening in saiddisc, manually operable means for limiting the gravitation of saidmarbles and so disposed as to be effective at a point intermediate thelength of said magazine, and spring actuated means adapted when undertension to receive a marble at the lower end of said magazine and uponrelease thereof to propel said marble about the circumferential area ofsaid disc.

3. In a marble game, marble propelling means, saidmarble propellingmeans including means for singly receiving marbles, a scoring elementwhich is provided with a discharge for the marbles, a return runwaycommunicating with said discharge, means for limiting the number ofaccumulated marbles in a portion of said return runway to apredetermined number and manually operable means for withdrawing theaccumulated marbles for reception by said marble propelling means.

4. In a marble propelling game, the combination of a scoring discprovided with a central opening greater in diameter than the diameter ofa marble, said scoring disc being depressed toward said central opening,said scoring disc being further provided with a count-scoring recessdisposed between said central opening and the periphery of said disc, adelivery chute leading to the circumferential area of the scoring disc,a return runwayin continuous communication with said central opening forreceiving and accumulating marbles discharged through the centralopening of said scoring disc, marble propelling means arranged forreceiving and propelling marbles singly, and manually operable means forreleasing the accumulated marbles from said return runway for receptionby said marble propelling means.

.5. In a marble propelling game, the combination of a scoring discprovided with a central opening greater in diameter than the diameter ofa marble, said scoring disc being depressed toward said central opening,said scoring disc being further provided with a count-scoring recessdisposed between said central opening and the periphery of said disc, adelivery chute leading to the circumferential area of the scoring disc,an inclined return runway in communication with said central opening andcomprising a lowermost end disposed toward one side of the game, marblepropelling means comprising a manually controllable member disposedadjacent said one side of the game, said manually controllable memberserving upon depression and release to effect the forceful movement of amarble upwardly from the lowermost end of said runway and through saidchute onto the circumferential area of the said scoring disc.

6. In a marble propelling game, the combination of a scoring discprovided with a central opening greater in diameter than the diameter ofa marble, said scoring disc being depressed toward said central opening,said scoring disc being fur ther provided with a count-scoring recessdisposed between said central opening and the periphery of said disc, asubstantially horizontally extending delivery chute leading to thecircumferential area of the scoring disc, an inclined return runway incommunication with said central opening and comprising a lowermost enddisposed toward one side of the game, marble propelling means comprisinga manually controllable mem-- ber disposed adjacent said one side of thegame, said manually controllable member serving upon depression andrelease to effect the forceful movement of a marble upwardly from thelowermost end of said runway and through said chute onto thecircumferential area of the said scoring disc.

WILLIAM W. HARRIS.

